


Fooled By The Devil's Hand

by vyxythepixie



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: FrostIron - Freeform, M/M, Multi, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-28
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2019-03-25 06:25:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13828380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vyxythepixie/pseuds/vyxythepixie
Summary: Pepper returns to Malibu Mansion after a well-earned holiday only to find mischief has taken root, and it has a proposal.





	1. Chapter 1

Two weeks away from Stark Industries had been the longest holiday of her life. Tony had insisted that she should enjoy herself, get out and see the world and escape his constant needs for a while before the big, bad universe demanded otherwise. It had been hard not to worry about him, but with reassurances from both Happy and Rhodey alike, Pepper had taken the time and enjoyed herself.

So the day she returned home to find a god standing in the living room, she dropped her suitcase. Six foot two and clad in his customary green and gold armour, Loki stared her down. 

“Don’t scream,” he said.

Pepper goggled at him, rigid in her stance. She was terrified and brimming with hate. This monster had caused incalculable damage to her home, to the people she loved, and to the city. If it weren’t for how little it would do, she would have rushed to strike him. She was still considering it. “You - what the _hell_ are you doing back here?” Her eyes darted about the room, one hand reaching behind her. “Tony!?”

“If I wanted to, I could crush that phone and snap your neck before it left your pocket. Please sit down, Miss Potts.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Pepper walked over to the sofa and took a seat, gripping it with her hands to stop them from shaking. “Do you have _any_ idea what you put us through?” she blurted. “Do you even care? You should be locked up far away on Asgard.”

“I was.”

She could not stop the vitriol from pouring out. “Then why aren’t you? Do you even know what you did to him? That man has woken screaming every night since those things attacked, those things that you brought!”

“Oh, I know. I’ve heard.” His tone was gratingly casual.

What did he mean by that, she wondered. That he had been told or that he’d _actually heard_?

She glared, swallowing. “Where is Tony?”

“He’s asleep.” A smirk tugged at the god’s lips. “I think the screaming quite wore him out.”

Pepper whitened. “What have you done?” No longer caring for her safety, she slipped her feet from her heels and ran for the stairs to Tony’s room.

When she got to the top of the steps, Loki was waiting for her. _How was that possible?_

“I wouldn’t go in there if I were you,” he snickered. But he stepped aside and did not stop her running past him.

Pepper burst into the bedroom, only just catching her balance when she tripped over a shoe. Nothing could have prepared her for the sight before her, expression frozen in horror.

Sprawled within a tangle of sheets, his exposed skin swathed in a sheen of sweat, Tony Stark lay asleep. His peaceful face rested on the bare chest of the man in whose arms she had found him.

Loki gave Pepper a lazy grin, his long black hair damp and messy. Aghast, she looked back at the man by the stairs. The illusion chuckled and faded. There was only the trickster in the bed now, Tony still dozing upon him.

“Miss Potts,” Loki purred. “You and I need to have a little talk.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Honey, I know this looks bad. It looks really bad. It’s like bad took MDMA and decided to drive a three-wheeled truck to Carolina with - with a stockpile of radium on back.”

Pepper could not meet Tony’s eyes. The whiskey she was pouring could barely meet the rim of the glass. This was the least sense her life had made since working for Stark and that was truly saying something. He must have finally driven her crazy.

“This is - this is _insane_.” Shaking, she brought the glass to her lips.

Here they were in the living room as though it were a normal day. Except a normal day didn’t have the house on lock-down preventing her escape, or a dishevelled Tony in a dressing gown trying to explain how he had got into bed with an alien god. She sat otherwise rigid on the edge of the sofa.

“This isn’t possible.” Pepper shook her head, eyes wide. “No, no _you_ \- you have to be under some sort of mind control thing. He did that before, to Hawkeye, and-.”

“Pepper, Pepper, no. That’s not how it is. He doesn’t have the sceptre -.”

“What does that have to -?”

“He doesn’t have the sceptre and look -,” Tony tapped the arc reactor gleaming beneath his robe, “even if he did, it wouldn’t work.”

“So, I’m just supposed to believe that you willingly... I can’t even say it.”

“Babe, I know -.”

Pepper regarded him now with disbelief, loathing his floundering pet names. Her voice rasped out, trying to avoid being heard by the creature upstairs. “He _killed_ people, Tony. That _thing_ is the reason you flew a warhead into space and almost died.”

“Can I talk, please, hun? I mean you’re not giving me much room -.”

“I don’t know. Are you going to make any sense?”

“That I can’t promise.”

“Oh, that’s _great_.”

“If you can’t hear it from me, talk to him.”

“Now you’re being ridiculous.”

“Then listen to me.”

Pepper uncrossed her legs and sat back, forcing a gulp of whiskey down. She remained silent and gave Tony an expectant look. 

Stark rubbed his face with one hand, skimming his hair with the other. “It’s been - what? - six months since the Incident? Our unpopular guest has spent the majority of that in a cell on his home planet, well deserved, but it’s a big flip-off from Asgard by way of compensation. Somehow, don’t ask me how, I must have been insane to put my name to it, we made an agreement with their people for Loki to do a little uh... princely community service. He helps us clean up some of his mess, tells scientists where not to stick their fingers in the pretty glowy things, and he’s not allowed within a mile of the sceptre. We have security systems monitoring him everywhere he goes, our own ‘ASBO Asgardian’; British; has a ring to it. Anyway, Asgard have a guy, sort of CCTV of the universe. If at any point Loki goes off his radar, we’ll know about it. He’s mostly over the whole ‘humanity should kneel before me’ thing. Family issues.”

When nothing further came, Pepper made an incredulous gesture. “Okay, well, that explains why he’s on Earth. Not what I saw that I can’t - Tony, in our _house_.” She put a hand to her mouth. “Things have been bad. The women, the drink, but this - my god. What he did nearly _destroyed_ you and you’re -.” Tears welled in her eyes as she choked the words. “ _Fucking_ him?”

“No, no.” Loki’s silken voice cut in as he descended the stairs at an even pace. He was clad once more in his armoured regalia. “I fuck _him_. The difference is quite distinct.”

Tony put his head in his hands. “Loki, that’s not helping.”

Pepper stood, keeping her distance from both of them. “I can’t - I can’t deal with this.” She glowered at Loki. “Why are you doing this to him? To us?”

Loki beamed. “All part of my role as Vice President of the Department of Damage Control.”

“Wait, no,” said Tony. “You’re not Vice President.” He raised placating palms toward Pepper. “He’s not Vice -.”

“What?” Pepper snapped. “How is this relevant?”

“ - it’s an advisory -”

“Tony!”

“I damaged Stark. I took it upon myself to fix him,” Loki said, plainly.

“Is that a _joke_?”

Agonised by the situation, Tony backed his case. “Pep, he took away my panic. It’s gone. Most of it.”

“What, with his magic dick?”

Loki chuckled. “No, those two things are mutually exclusive. Both however fit the purpose. I have been helping Stark to let go of his fears and the necessity for control. He thinks much clearer when he works now.”

“Er, yeah. Twelve percent clearer at least.” Tony looked shifty.

“Yeah?” said Pepper. “Well, how are you gonna apply Damage Control to our relationship?” She looked at Tony, deadly serious. Had there been any thought whatsoever as to how she was going to react to this? This was beyond cheating. Tony had surrendered his soul to the Devil. “Do you expect me to be _okay_ with this?”

Tony swallowed. “Hell no, I don’t.”

She laughed hysterically. “You’re damn right.” Glancing between them, she pointed a finger. “You are gonna unlock this house, I am gonna pack my things and I’m leaving. I’m done.”

“No,” said Loki.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. You will stay here. Like I said, we need to talk. Stark has explained what is. I will explain what will be.”

“Pepper, you don’t have to -.”

“Shh.” Loki raised an index finger in Tony’s direction. “I will keep to this arrangement with Stark and you, Miss Potts, will permit me. You will permit me because I will make it very worth your while. Consider this - a bulletproof protector who can keep Stark healthy in mind and body. All those long nights worrying about him drinking himself into a stupor? No longer. What he does out there in his armour is out of my hands, but the man on the ground I can tame. No more missed appointments. No more disappointments. I have no interest in romantic attachment. I will leave that between you. However, I do have gifts to offer. I know how to make the Iron Man better and I can do the same for you.”

Pepper stared, her lips parted. When she spoke at last, it was to Tony. “Is this how he talked you into it?”

He didn’t answer.

“It took time,” said Loki.

“My answer is no. Now let me out of here.”

“Pep-.”

“Tony, he killed Phil.”

“...Phil got better.”

The glare she gave him made Tony flinch. “Jarvis, let Pepper out of the house, please.”

“Yes, sir.”

The shutters sealing off the house slid away, flooding the room with natural light. Loki made no move or sound to stop it.

Pepper grabbed her shoes and ran. She called Happy to pick her up, putting as much distance between herself and Tony’s home as she could on foot. Her things could wait. All that mattered right now was getting away and forgetting the god of mischief’s proposal.

_This isn’t happening._


End file.
